Various glomerulonephritides unfortunately often require treatment with chemotherapeutic agents, such as cyclophosphamide. A potential adverse effect of these agents in females of child-bearing age, is premature ovarian failure. Nate previously posted about this. Since then, there have been…
Dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium channel blockers are notoriously associated with dependent oedema, but what mechanisms underlie the pathogenesis of this finding? Here are some explanations from a nice review I came across. Going back to Starling’s forces governing the…
Last time we reviewed the proposed mechanisms by which hypercalcaemia can induce polyuria. It’s important to know that hypokalaemia can also precipitate this presentation. So here are the proposed mechanisms for this scenario. Potassium is required for the…
So Leo’s post got me thinking about the pathophysiology of hypercalcaemia-induced polyuria. I wanted to share what I have learned in relation to the mechanisms of this phenomenon. Calcium-sensing receptors (CaSR) are found on the basolateral membrane of…
Creatine monohydrate is a widely available dietary supplement. It frequently pops up during both outpatient and inpatient discussions on the differential for acute kidney injury. However, the literature is scant and appears to be conflicting. So, here are…
We heard a very interesting presentation today on autoimmune pancreatitis and concurrent systemic disease. The pathogenesis is felt to be related to IgG-4 producing plasma cells, and has now been linked to numerous systemic disease manifestations. The case…
An observational study of urinary sodium excretion (a surrogate of dietary salt intake) and it’s association with cardiovascular mortality was published in JAMA last week. The trial involved 3681 patients in Europe without cardiovascular disease at baseline. The…
Here are some points from one of the cases presented at the electrolyte workshop this afternoon: The major teaching point was that the reabsorption of calcium closely follows that of sodium. Therefore, in sodium avid states, calcium tends…
I attended a very interesting talk from Dr Bakris today on the latest approaches to BP targets in the CKD population. The highlights are nicely illustrated in a systematic review published in the Annals this year. They searched…
The NKF Spring Clinical meeting started today in Las Vegas. I thought I’d share of the interesting highlights from some of the talks I’ve attended. This post relates to Dr Appel’s lecture on IgA nephropathy, where he described…
